Molinaro prefers Stuttgart move above Atletico

January 5, 2010

Atletico Madrid already prepared to welcome Cristian Molinaro but their hopes of signing the Juventus defender were rumbled by VfB Stuttgart. The Italian full back will finish the season on a loan base in Stuttgart.

Molinaro was a regular starter for Juventus the last two seasons under Claudio Ranieri but Ciro Ferrara hasn’t shown the same faith in him, giving the 26-year-old just five starts in the Serie A. Ferrara prefers Fabio Grosso, who joined Juve from Olympique Lyon last summer, at the left-back position.

While Atletico Madrid’s executives were thought to be in Turin finalising negotiations to bring Molinaro to the Spanish capital, reports of a sudden twist in the tale came in the form of a last minute bid from Stuttgart.

Molinaro will arrive at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on a six-month loan with a right-to-buy inserted into the deal.

Meanwhile, Juventus are still negotiating Portuguese midfielder Tiago’s sale to Atletico Madrid.

The player’s father, Carlos Mendes, told Spanish newspaper AS: “It’s the right solution for Atletico’s central midfield.”

Tags: A. Ferrara, atletico madrid, carlos mendes, central midfield, ciro ferrara, Claudio Ranieri, Fabio Grosso, hasn, Lyon, MADRID, mercedes benz, midfielder, molinaro, negotiations, olympique lyon, portuguese, right solution, s central, spanish capital, sudden twist, tiago, turin, two seasons, vfb stuttgart

Rooney takes England armband as Terry ruled out

November 14, 2009

Wayne Rooney captained England for the first time here on Saturday after regular skipper John Terry was ruled out of the friendly clash with Brazil with an Achilles injury.

Rooney, winning his 57th cap at the age of 24, was supported in attack by Sunderland striker Darren Bent, who was given the chance to press his World Cup case ahead of Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe.

Head coach Fabio Capello handed an unexpected start to Manchester United’s Ben Foster in goal while Jermaine Jenas started alongside Gareth Barry in central midfield after Michael Carrick was ruled out with an ankle injury.

Everton’s Joleon Lescott replaced Terry in central defence in a line-up featuring only two of Capello’s first-choice line-up, Barry and Rooney.

Brazil had former Manchester City midfielder Elano in their starting line-up as part of an attacking midfield trio made up by Kaka and Nilmar, with Luis Fabiano operating as a lone striker and Felipe Melo and Gilberto Silva in the defensive midfield roles.

DOHA (AFP)

Tags: achilles injury, ankle injury, ben foster, central defence, central midfield, choice line, coach fabio capello, Darren Bent, Doha, elano, felipe melo, gilberto silva, jenas, jermain defoe, joleon lescott, luis fabiano, manchester city, Michael Carrick, peter crouch, Sunderland, Terry, wayne rooney

Ireland may come to regret Reid freeze-out

November 14, 2009

Giovanni Trapattoni may have cause to regret his decision to leave Sunderland playmaker Andy Reid out in the cold when Ireland face France on Saturday and next Wednesday in their two-legged World Cup play-off.

Reid has been in sparkling form for his club this season in the Premier League, notching some fantastic goals, notably from free-kicks — an area Ireland need to improve on with the exception of Glenn Whelan’s thunderbolts from long range.

He has a range of passing that can unlock the best defences in the world and Ireland will need somebody with that capability against the more-fancied French at Croke Park and Stade de France over the next week.

But the Dubliner has been overlooked by Trapattoni ever since he fell out with the wily, no-nonsense Italian a year ago in the team’s hotel bar in the German city of Wiesbaden after Ireland’s qualifier with Georgia.

Reid has apologised profusely for failing to go to bed before a 2am curfew and, unlike, say, Manchester City’s Stephen Ireland, he has reiterated on many occasions his commitment to play for his country.

But while Trapattoni and his backroom team continue to court Ireland, Reid remains in exile. Of course with a lack of creativity in Ireland’s central midfield, Ireland would be a welcome addition, but surely his absence only reinforces the need for Reid’s recall?

The former Tottenham player has knuckled down since his move to the north east of England, lost lots of weight, looks fitter than ever, and has become one of the most improved players in the best league in the world.

Is it time Trapattoni swallowed his pride?

PHOTO: Fans of Ireland’s soccer team attend France national soccer team’s training session at Clairefontaine south of Paris on November 11, 2009. France will face Ireland in Dublin on November 14, 2009 in a World Cup 2010 play off qualifying soccer match . REUTERS/Charles Platiau

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Tags: andy reid, central midfield, Charles Platiau, clairefontaine, Croke Park, defences, dubliner, face france, France, free kicks, Georgia, german city, giovanni trapattoni, hotel bar, manchester city, national soccer team, north east of england, PARIS, Reid, s central, Stade, stade de france, Stephen Ireland, thunderbolts, whelan

England hit by Lampard injury ahead of Brazil clash

November 12, 2009

England’s preparations for their friendly clash with Brazil suffered a serious setback on Thursday when Frank Lampard was ruled out of the match with a thigh injury.

The Chelsea midfielder suffered a strain to his left thigh while training in temperatures above 30 degrees on Thursday morning.

After a lengthy assessment by England’s medical staff, it was decided he would leave Qatar and fly back to London immediately for further treatment.

Head coach Fabio Capello decided against calling up a replacement for Saturday’s meeting with the five-times world champions in Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium.

Lampard’s withdrawal further depletes an England squad which was already missing half of Capello’s first choice line-up.

Full-backs Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole, Rooney’s United team-mate Rio Ferdinand, Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, goalkeeper David James and Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey were all unable to travel to Qatar because of various injuries.

Capello is also without Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon and lost the services of David Beckham after his club, LA Galaxy, made the Major League Soccer play-offs.

The injury to Lampard could mean an opportunity for Tottenham’s Tom Huddlestone to make his first appearance for England, although Manchester United’s Michael Carrick represents a more experienced option for Capello to slot in alongside Gareth Barry in central midfield.

Jermaine Jenas is another possibility for that place while Shaun Wright-Phillips, James Milner and Ashley Young are all vying for roles on the flanks.

DOHA (AFP)

Tags: Aaron Lennon, ashley cole, central midfield, choice line, coach fabio capello, David Beckham, Gareth Barry, James Milner, jermaine jenas, la galaxy, Major League Soccer, Michael Carrick, rio ferdinand, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Steven Gerrard, striker emile heskey, theo walcott, thigh injury

‘Guti calls Sneijder about Inter’

November 11, 2009

Wesley Sneijder received a remarkable phone call before he joined the Netherlands squad for their friendly matches against Italy and Paraguay. Reportedly, Guti, his former team-mate at Real Madrid, telephoned him about the prospect of joining Inter.

The 32-year-old midfielder is out of favour at the Santiago Bernabeu after falling out with Manuel Pellegrini. Guti has been ruled out of the first team after launching a tirade at Pellegrini following Real’s 4-0 defeat to Alcorcon last month in the Copa del Rey.

According to Il Corriere Dello Sport Guti rang Sneijder to ask if he could persuade Inter president Massimo Moratti to intervene on his behalf. Moratti wanted to sign the Spain international a few years ago but Inter boss Jose Mourinho is not interested in Guti.

Inter would like to reinforce their central midfield, but with a young Italian like Parma’s Daniele Galloppa, who is a lifelong fan of the Nerazzurri. Inter are apparently going to be very busy in the January transfer window mainly trying to sell Ricardo Quaresma and Amantino Mancini.

They are also looking to strengthen their attack, possibly with the signing of Lazio striker Goran Pandev, as Samuel Eto’o will be away in the spring playing for Cameroon in the African Nations Cup.

Paul Haring

Tags: african nations cup, central midfield, copa del rey, corriere dello sport, daniele, former team, Goran Pandev, il corriere dello sport, jose mourinho, lifelong fan, manuel pellegrini, massimo, midfielder, real madrid, ricardo quaresma, samuel eto o, santiago bernabeu, team mate, tirade, Wesley Sneijder

Van Persie, Mannone lift Arsenal to victory

September 26, 2009

Robin van Persie shrugged off the controversy surrounding his recent contribution to the diving debate to strike the match-winner as Arsenal fended off a spirited Fulham to claim a valuable 1-0 victory on Saturday.

Van Persie’s admission that he exaggerates contact inside the penalty area in a bid to win spot-kicks caused raised eyebrows before the Gunners’ trip to Craven Cottage.

But the Holland striker showed the other side of his game when produced an outstanding second half finish that prevented his side dropping more valuable points.

The result was harsh on Fulham who had the better chances and were denied largely because of an outstanding display by Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had spoken optimistically before the game about his side’s prospect of lifting the Premier League title, although that view had been countered by Danny Murphy’s claim that the current Arsenal side is a shadow of Wenger?s previous teams.

It was Fulham who were the hungrier side during the opening period with Murphy and Dickson Etuhu working hard to take control of central midfield and provide front two Andrew Johnson and Bobby Zamora with some quality service.

Arsenal’s back-four was getting stretched and, more galling for Wenger, they received little help from their team-mates further down the pitch who gave away possession much too easily, allowing Fulham to sustain early pressure.

Cesc Fabregas was uncharacteristically sloppy when he presented Clint Dempsey with the chance to shoot and the Arsenal skipper was relieved to see his Mannone smother the danger.

And the Italian produced a much more spectacular double save to keep his side on level terms in the 15th minute when he dived to tip away Johnson’s header before reacting quickly to block Dempsey’s follow-up shot from close range.

Arsenal were looking disjointed although Fabregas shot over from a good position in the 18th minute.

More wasteful though was Andrey Arshavin, back in the side after a groin injury, who managed to scoop the ball over the bar from just 12 yards out after being played in by his captain.

The better chances were coming at the other end where Mannone again did well to divert Zoltan Gera’s 36th minute cross-shot after the Hungarian had been played in by Johnson’s clever flick.

Arsenal had been second best throughout the first half and the pattern looked set to continue after the break when Zamora quickly fired in a 20-yard effort that flew narrowly wide of Mannone’s left hand post.

But while Wenger’s side may still be a work in progress, the one thing they do not lack is quality and the ability to change the course of a game in an instant – and that is exactly what happened when van Persie fired them ahead in the 52nd minute.

There was no sign of danger when Alex Song collected Paul Konchesky’s scuffed clearance inside his own half, but the midfielder moved the ball on to Fabregas who picked out Van Persie with a perfectly weighted chip.

Under pressure from Aaron Hughes, the Dutchman’s first touch had to be perfect. It was, and so was his finish that flew low across Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer and inside the far post.

Fulham responded well and Johnson drew another excellent save out of Mannone when he met Zamora’s cross with a flicked header.

And the keeper’s efforts were matched by two excellent blocks from his defenders, the first by Bacary Sagna to deflect Dempsey’s shot against the post moments before William Gallas dived in to halt Zamora’s drive.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: Aaron Hughes, Alex Song, andrew johnson, bobby zamora, captain. The, central midfield, Clint Dempsey, close range, controversy, craven cottage, Danny Murphy, Dickson Etuhu, eyebrows, fulham, groin injury, gunners, Holland, hungrier side, Johnson, london, mark schwarzer, paul konchesky, possession, premier league, quality service, robin van persie, skipper, striker, team mates, Van Persie, Vito Mannone, William Gallas, zoltan gera

High fives as Spain crush Belgium to near World Cup

September 6, 2009

European champions Spain moved to within touching distance of the World Cup finals after coasting to a 5-0 win over Belgium in La Coruna on Saturday.

Valencia duo David Silva and David Villa both scored twice with Barcelona defender Gerard Pique also on target in the five-goal romp and the scoreline should have been more emphatic.

The double from Villa, who also missed a penalty, raises his international goals tally to 33 in just 51 games as he closes in on the national record of 44 held by Real Madrid striker Raul.

Spain have a flawless seven wins at the top of Group 5, six points ahead of second-placed Bosnia Herzegovina who won 2-0 at Armenia.

If Spain beat Estonia in Merida on Wednesday and Bosnia fail to beat Turkey they will qualify for the World Cup finals with two games to spare.

“It was nice to win and get back scoring again (after three games without a goal),” said Villa.

“We started so well and should have been more than 1-0 up at the break. I missed my penalty although it was a bit unfortunate although I will be ready to take the next one that comes up.”

Silva added: “It was an important game to win and we did it well. I am coming back following injury and just hope I can continue injury-free for the rest of the season.”

Villarreal midfielder Marcos Senna failed to recover from a knock sustained at the weekend so emerging Barcelona star Sergi Busquets, 21, won his seventh cap starting alongside Xabi Alonso in central midfield.

Alonso’s Real Madrid team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa was also handed a chance to impress at right-back with Sergio Ramos still injured.

Injuries meant Belgium had to hand a tough debut to goalkeeper Jean Francois Gillet.

Gillet had a busy game throughout and Villa went close twice in the opening ten minutes.

Villa zipped a low shot just wide of post in the eighth minute and then spurned a golden chance two minutes later with the debutant goalkeeper blocking his effort with his legs.

Belgium were struggling and Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen collected the first yellow card of the match for hacking down Fernando Torres.

In the 21st minute Villa won a soft penalty by wrongfooting Anthony Vanden Borre and picked himself up for the spot-kick.

The Valencia striker opted to strike his penalty down the middle and Gillet saved with his trailing foot.

Villa then hit the post before setting up Silva for the goal on 41 minutes with a delightful pass and Silva made no mistake with a clinical finish for only his fourth international goal.

After a frustrating first half Villa got his goal four minutes after the break with a trademark right-footed finish.

Sixty seconds later centre-half Pique showed a striker’s composure in the penalty area to make it 3-0 before Silva smashed in a terrific second goal.

Villa grabbed the final goal of the game on 85 minutes as Spain tore the visitors apart on the counter attack.

Belgium have just seven points so can forget the World Cup in South Africa while Spain are on the brink of qualifying and would go to the tournament as one of the favourites.

MADRID (AFP)

Tags: Alonso, Anthony Vanden, Barcelona, Belgium, bosnia herzegovina, busquets, central midfield, David Silva, DAVID VILLA, eighth minute, Estonia, european champions, Fernando, francois gillet, gerard pique, golden chance, international goals, Jean Francois Gillet, la coruna, MADRID, marcos senna, Merida, raul, real madrid, scoreline, sergi, sergio ramos, South Africa, Spain, target, team mate, Thomas Vermaelen, Turkey, Valencia, world cup finals, xabi alonso

Juve chief rules out Alonso swoop

July 2, 2009

ROME (AFP) – Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli on Wednesday denied rumours his club are interested in signing Liverpool’s Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso.

The 27-year-old is a reported target for Real Madrid and is rumoured to be unsettled at the Merseysiders following their long pursuit of Gareth Barry last summer as a potential replacement for the Spaniard.

But Cobolli told reporters outside a hospital in Turin that contrary to press reports, Alonso was not on his radar.

“We’re looking at several names in central midfield but Xabi Alonso is not one of those,” he said.

“I found out about our interest in the Spaniard from the press. He’s a great player but given that I read about his name in the papers should tell you everything.”

Cobolli also dismissed speculation linking the Italian giants to Napoli’s Slovak midfielder Marek Hamsik but admitted he is interested in Udinese’s Gaetano D’Agostino.

“The deal has cooled off. Udinese are a serious club with capable managers who are able negotiators,” he added.

“It’s about trying to find a solution between our valuation of the player and theirs.”

However, the Juve chief also admitted that his club would have to sell to finance their purchases this close season.

“We’re not being blocked by players who don’t want to leave but we do have to sell before we can buy,” he added.

“(Denmark international Christian) Poulsen is one player we’ve put up for sale and theoretically so too is (Frenchman David) Trezeguet but the probability of finding a suitable club for him and getting a price that fits his standing is much smaller.”

Cobolli said he hoped former player Pavel Nedved, who retired at the end of last season, would join the club’s backroom staff.

Meanwhile, Juve said on their website that young Italian forward Sebastian Giovinco had Wednesday morning successfully undergone an operation on his nose aimed at improving his breathing.

Tags: backroom staff, capable managers, central midfield, Christian, christian poulsen, David, david trezeguet, denmark, denmark international, English Premier League, frenchman, Gaetano, Gareth Barry, gigli, Giovanni Cobolli, juventus, LA Liga, Liverpool, MADRID, marek hamsik, midfielder, napoli, negotiators, Pavel Nedved, real madrid, sebastian, sebastian giovinco, Serie A, Spaniard, target, turin, xabi alonso

France to undergo trial at Hillsborough

June 30, 2009

Ryan France will undergo a trial period at Sheffield Wednesday after being released by Hull City at the end of last season.

The 28-year-old made 151 appearances for the Tigers during his six-year spell but a knee ligament injury in February 2007 hampered his progress at the club.

The midfielder featured twice in the Premier League last season with most of his outings coming in the FA Cup but now the former Alfreton Town man needs to try and resurrect his career.

France played in various positions during his time at the KC Stadium filling in at right-back, left-back and central midfield but it is at right wing where he will be hoping to impress Owls boss Brian Laws.

“Ryan is a hard-working player who has played in each of the four professional divisions of English football,” Laws told the club’s official website.

“He is also a Sheffield lad so I am very pleased to be able to see how he performs on trial this week.”

“If he impresses then we may be in a position to offer him a deal at Hillsborough.”

“It is an important week with the players returning to training so we will have a clearer picture of what could be at our disposal.”

Written by: Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: alfreton town, boss, Brian Laws, central midfield, english football, English Premier League, FA Cup, hull city, kc stadium, knee ligament injury, lad, midfielder, owls, premier league, professional divisions, rajput, right wing, Ryan, Ryan France, Sheffield, sheffield wednesday, tigers, trial period

Game, set and match: Real 2 Barça 6

May 3, 2009

If Chelsea were cautious in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, what will they do after seeing this display?

Spain’s sports journalists will be doing their best to outdo one another in superlatives after a performance that ranks right up there with the 5-0 Barça managed at the Bernabeu with Johan Cruyff in their team in 1974.

If that Barça team was largely about one man, the current vintage has quite extraordinary talent running all the way through it. From Puyol and Piqué at the back, to Xavi and Iniesta in central midfield to the attacking trio of Henry, Messi and Eto’o this is quite some collective.

We’ll have more on this tomorrow, but for now let’s take a quick look at the early reaction from Spain:

Marca: A humiliation to decide the league. In the big games, the big names should show up. In the Barça team today virtually all of them did: Henry, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Piqué, Puyol… Samuel Etoo was the only one missing.

As: They say you have to learn to walk before you can run. While Barcelona go sprinting towards their date with history, Madrid have barely taken their first steps.

Sport: Madrid came down like a house of cards… What you saw today in the Bernabeu was a true reflection of the enormous gulf that today separates one of these teams from the other. There was no comparison.

El Mundo Deportivo: Ecsta-six.

Wonder what Guus Hddink made of it… Perhaps he’ll take the view that this was as much a sign of Real Madrid weakness as it was Barcelona strength.

PHOTO: Barcelona’s Gerard Pique, Thierry Henry and Daniel Alves celebrate a goal against Real Madrid during their match at the Bernabeu, May 2, 2009. REUTERS/Juan Medina

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